Cork firm lands €1m International Space Station deal

A Cork medical diagnostics firm has landed a €1m contract from the European Space Agency [ESA].

According to Silicon Republic, Raidisens Diagnostics won the contract in order to develop a thyroid test for astronauts on board the International Space Station to ensure laboratory-grade diagnostics for health problems.

"Winning this contract from the European Space Agency is a significant endorsement of our ‘sample-to-answer’ device and the breadth of blood tests it can offer," said Radisens when announcing the deal.

"We are delighted to formalise our strategic partnership with ESA with the support of Enterprise Ireland and look forward to working on the application of our technology to terrestrial and space healthcare diagnostic needs”.

TD Sean Sherlock, Minister for Research & Innovation, also said that the deal was "encouraging, stating:

“Radisens Diagnostics’ success is the most recent example of an Irish company reaping significant benefits from Ireland’s membership of the European Space Agency (ESA) through Enterprise Ireland.

"It is encouraging to see that Irish SMEs are developing a high profile as providers of innovative solutions for use in the European Space Programme."

Considering that the firm are developing the test back on Earth, it's unlikely that we're ever going to hear a Cork accent in outer space for quite some time. Thank God for that.